The orthopedic damping device can be used in particular in orthotic joints or prosthetic knee joints, but can also be used in principle in order to improve the behavior of pneumatic dampers.
With use of orthopedic damping devices that use a compressible medium, the medium is compressed in a compression chamber by reducing the chamber volume by means of a piston. The piston can be formed both as a linearly displaceable piston and as a rotary piston. If the force exerted onto the piston is reduced, for example in the event of a movement reversal, the compressed medium, for example air, is decompressed and exerts a restoring force. In the case of prosthetic or orthotic joints, this may lead to a catapult effect of a joint component, for example in the case of a lower leg component, which is disadvantageous in particular at high movement speeds.